The Orthodox Study Bible - Introduction and the Book of James

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Beschreibung:

The FIRST EVER Orthodox Study Bible presents the Bible of the early church and the church of the early Bible.
Orthodox Christianity is the face of ancient Christianity to the modern world and embraces the second largest body of Christians in the world. In this first-of-its-kind study Bible, the Bible is presented with commentary from the ancient Christian perspective that speaks to those Christians who seek a deeper experience of the roots of their faith.

The Orthodox Study Bible - Introduction and the Book of James

Hochgeladen von

Beschreibung:

The FIRST EVER Orthodox Study Bible presents the Bible of the early church and the church of the early Bible.
Orthodox Christianity is the face of ancient Christianity to the modern world and embraces the second largest body of Christians in the world. In this first-of-its-kind study Bible, the Bible is presented with commentary from the ancient Christian perspective that speaks to those Christians who seek a deeper experience of the roots of their faith.

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INTRODUCTION TO THEORTHODOX STUDY BIBLEThe last decade of the twentieth century saw an historic event. In 1993, The OrthodoxStudy Bible: New Testament and Psalms was released as the first English Bible with studymaterial reflecting the ancient faith of the Eastern Orthodox Church.St. Athanasius Academy, which had organized this effort, began receiving requestsfor the completion of the Old Testamenta monumental task which involved not onlypreparation of the study notes and outlines, but also the presentation of an acceptable OldTestament text. Though the Orthodox Church has never officially committed itself to a singletext and list of Old Testament books, it has traditionally used the Greek Old Testament of theSeptuagint (LXX). However, in Orthodoxys 200-year history in North America, no Englishtranslation of the LXX has ever been produced by the Church.The contributors used the Alfred Rahlfs edition of the Greek text as the basis for theEnglish translation. To this base they brought two additional major sources. The first is theBrenton text, a British translation of the Greek Old Testament, published in 1851. The availability of this work, and the respect accorded it, made it an obvious choice as a sourcedocument. Secondly, Thomas Nelson Publishers granted use of the Old Testament text of theNew King James Version in the places where the English translation of the LXX would matchthat of the Masoretic (Hebrew) text. The development team at St. Athanasius Academy carefully studied these sources, along with other documents, to produce an English OldTestament text suitable for the project.The organization of the Old Testament books, that is, their canonical order, was taken fromThe Old Testament According to the Seventy, published with the approval of the Holy Synod ofthe Church of Greece. The first edition was released in June, 1928. The Old Testament textpresented in this volume does not claim to be a new or superior translation. The goal was to produce a text to meet the Bible-reading needs of English-speaking Orthodox Christians.In some Old Testament books, including the Psalms, the numbering of chapters, andsometimes individual verses is different in the LXX version from the English translation of theHebrew text (such as the New King James Version and New Revised Standard Version). Tohelp the reader, the LXX psalm number appears first, followed by the alternate number inparentheses, such as Psalm 50 (51).In addition to the difference in the numbering of the Psalms, the books of Jeremiah andMalachi show differences in the chapter and verse numbering when comparing The OrthodoxStudy Bible alongside English translations based on the Hebrew Old Testament text. The following shows how the Hebrew and LXX texts compare in the books of Jeremiah and Malachi.JeremiahHebrew1:125:1325:1425:153826:143:1344:13045:1546:146:22546:2646:27, 2847:1748:14449:1549:649:72249:232749:283349:34a, 3539

The New Testament of The Orthodox Study Bible is taken from the New King James Version of the Bible. It is a translation of the Received Text of the Greek New Testament, withnotes showing major variants in the Majority Text and the critical text of Nestle-Aland andthe United Bible Societies.The introductory material, commentary and notes accompanying the Old and New Testament books are presented in a vocabulary understandable to a high school graduate. This isnot a book of scholars addressing other scholars, but rather scholars clearly communicatingthe treasures of the Orthodox biblical tradition with clergy and laypeople desirous of understanding their Christian beliefs and making them accessible to others. A cross symbol (b) inthe text of the Bible indicates a study note at the foot of the page.Further, the decision was made that the notes and commentary which clarify the biblicaltext would emphasize the major themes of the Christian faith. Thus, the notes give primaryattention to:1. The Holy Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit2. The Incarnation: The Divine Son of God becoming Man3. The Centrality of the Church, the dwelling place of God in the Spirit (Eph 2:22)4. The Virtues: Gods call to His people to live righteous and holy lives in ChristTo attain these goals, specific attention was given to the biblical interpretations of thefathers of the ancient and undivided Church, and to the consensus of the Seven Ecumenicalor Church-wide Councils of Christendom, held from the fourth to eighth centuries.The Holy Scriptures have always been integral to the life of the Church. The liturgicalcycle of the year and the days of feasting and fasting are accompanied by Scripture readingsfrom throughout the Bible. The lectionary in the back of The Orthodox Study Bible guides thereader along this biblical path through the Church year. Further, liturgical notes at the footof the pages of The Orthodox Study Bible relate specific readings to the yearly cycle of prayerand worship. These notes are designated with the symbol d.The prayer of the editors and contributors of The Orthodox Study Bible is that it presentsan understandable Bible text and commentary to (1) English-speaking Orthodox Christiansthe world over and to (2) non-Orthodox readers interested in learning more about the faithof the historic Orthodox Church.Lent, 2008

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THE OLD TESTAMENT BOOKS

LISTED AND COMPAREDOrthodoxOld TestamentGenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Kingdoms (1 Samuel)2 Kingdoms (2 Samuel)3 Kingdoms (1 Kings)4 Kingdoms (2 Kings)1 Chronicles (1 Paraleipomenon)2 Chronicles (2 Paraleipomenon)*1 Ezra**2 Ezra** (Ezra)NehemiahTobitJudithEsther1 Maccabees2 Maccabees3 MaccabeesPsalms (151 in number)JobProverbs of SolomonEcclesiastesSong of SongsWisdom of SolomonWisdom of SirachHoseaAmosMicahJoelObadiahJonahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiIsaiahJeremiahBaruchLamentation of JeremiahEpistle of JeremiahEzekielDaniel **** Includes the Prayer of Manasseh**Also known as 1 & 2 Esdras***Susanna is at the beginningof Daniel, Bel and the Serpent atthe end. Also includes the Hymnof the Three Young Men.

*Esther does not include those

sections called Additions toEsther.**Daniel here does not includethose sections separately labeled asthe Hymn of the Three YoungMen, Susanna, Bel and theSerpent.

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SOURCE ABBREVIATIONSSource

Abbreviation

Source

Abbreviation

Ambrose of MilanAntony of EgyptAphrahat the PersianAthanasius the GreatAugustine of HippoAureliusBasil the GreatCaesarius of ArlesCassiodorusClement of AlexandriaCyprian of AlexandriaCyprian of CarthageCyprian of JerusalemCyril of AlexandriaCyril of JerusalemDionysiusElias the PresbyterEphraim the SyrianEpistle of BarnabasEusebiusEustathius of AntiochGregory of NazianzusGregory of NyssaGregory PalamasGregory the Great (Pope)Gregory the TheologianHesychius

Hilary of PoitiersHippolytusIgnatius of AntiochIrenaeusIsaac the SyrianJeromeJohn CassianJohn ChrysostomJohn ClimacusJohn of DamascusJustin MartyrLeo the GreatMark the AsceticMaximos the ConfessorMethodiusNeilos the AsceticNicetasSeraphim of SarovSymeon the New TheologianTheodore of MopsuestiaTheodoretTheophylact of BulgariaVincent of Lerins

OVERVIEW OF THE BOOKS

OF THE BIBLEBy The Right Reverend BASIL, Bishop of the Diocese of Wichita and Mid-America1 THE OLD TESTAMENT 2

This introduction is a brief description of each of the forty-nine books of

the Old Testament. It is helpful to keep in mind that, like the earliest Christian community, the Orthodox Church of today continues using the Greekversion of the Old Testament known as the Septuagint (LXX). TheSeptuagintreferencing the seventy finest Jewish scholars, from all twelve Jewish tribes, who made the translation from the Hebrew into Greekbecame theuniversally accepted version of the Old Testament since the time of its appearance some three centuries before the birth of Christ. Our Lord Jesus Christ,together with His apostles and evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John,and also Peter and Paul, used this Greek version when quoting the Old Testament in their gospels and epistles. These inspired Old Testament books tellthe story of Gods dealings with ancient Israel, from approximately 2000 BCuntil the time of Jesus.A study of the Old Testament in the light of the authentic apostolic tradition will lead the reader to Him Who fulfilled the Law and the Prophets asHe promised: Our Lord and God and Savior, Jesus Christ. This collection offorty-nine Old Testament books is traditionally subdivided into four sections:1) the five books of the Law; 2) the books of history; 3) the books of wisdomand; 4) the books of prophecy.The Five Books of the LawFirst there are the books of the Law: Genesis, meaning beginning, sinceit recounts the beginning of Gods creation; Exodus, which means exit ordeparture, referring to the journey of the Hebrews from out of slavery inEgypt; Leviticus, a book detailing worship as led by the priests ordained fromthe tribe of Levi; Numbers, whose title is derived from the books opening account of the census or numbering of the people of Israel; Deuteronomy,meaning second law, since it gives a detailed listing of the additional lawsgiven by God through Moses.These first five books of the Old Testament, known jointly as the Pentateuch (penta means five in Greek) describe Gods creation of the world, therebellion of Adam and Eve and the fall of man, and the history of Gods people from the days of Abraham, about 2000 BC, through the days of Moses,dated by many scholars at approximately 1250 BC.The Books of HistoryThe second section of the LXX Old Testament is known as the historicalbooks. This group begins with the book of Joshua, the leader of the childrenxv

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of Israel following the death of Moses, who brings Gods people into thepromised land after their forty years of wandering in the wilderness. Judges relates to the traditions of the various Hebrew tribes and the exploits of theirown particular heroes, the Judges of whom the title speaks, who ruled the nation. The book of Ruth is the charming and heroic account of a Gentilewoman who placed herself under the protection of the one true God, and inthe process became an ancestor of King David, and of his descendent, JesusChrist the Messiah of Israel.First and Second Kingdoms (First and Second Samuel), whose principlecharacters are Samuel the faithful prophet, Saul the first king to rule overGods people, and David, Sauls successor and the first king of Judah in thesouth of Palestine, and Israel to the north. The books of Third and FourthKingdoms (First and Second Kings) opens with the enthronement of Davidsson Solomon and ends with the fall of the kingdom, including the destructionof its capital city of Jerusalem, and the exile of Gods people from Palestine toBabylon.First and Second Chronicles (First and Second Paraleipomenon) expand onthe history recorded in Third and Fourth Kingdoms. The wordParaleipomenon is transliterated from the Greek and means that which isomitted in the two preceding books. The books of First and Second Ezra andNehemiah continue this chronicle of divine history, focusing on the Jewish religious community after its return to Jerusalem from exile in Babylon.The final books in the historical section of the Old Testament reveal thestories of people who lived heroic and God-directed lives under foreign domination and during the exile: Tobit, who was taken into captivity by theAssyrians; Judith, the pious and beautiful widow who saved her people frommassacre by the invading Assyrian general; Esther, the Jewish queen of Persiawho achieved the revocation of Hamans decree that would have allowed thepersecution and mass murder of Gods people; and the Maccabees, the familyof the Hasmoneans and their followers, the faithful people who began the revolt and fought the wars of independence against foreign armies occupyingtheir land.The Books of WisdomThe third section of the Old Testament is known as the books of Wisdom.The magnificent Psalms is the hymnal of both ancient Israel and of theChurch. The book of Job, which in the canonical Greek LXX comes betweenPsalms and Proverbs, probes the depths of a mans unshakable faith in the faceof tragedy and innocent suffering. Proverbs is a collection of moral andreligious instruction taught to young people after their return from exile inBabylon. Ecclesiastes tells of the preacher who philosophically seeks to understand the meaning of human existence that the good man can find in this life.The moving Song of Songs by Solomon is a collection of lyric poems, written

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in the language of human love and courtship, which also speaks propheticallyof Gods love for His beloved Bride, His Church. The Wisdom of Solomonpromises reward and immortality to the righteous, praises wisdom andcondemns the folly of idolatry. The Wisdom of Sirach consists of lectures toyoung people on ethical and religious themes.These seven books of Wisdom literatureThe Psalms, Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, the Song of Songs, the Wisdom of Solomon, and the Wisdom ofSirachproclaim that happiness (or blessedness, in the language of theBible) is possible only through faith in and obedience to the one true God.The Books of ProphecyThe fourth and final section of the LXX Old Testament includes the booksof prophecy, which appear in an order different from the Hebrew and Vulgatecollections.Hosea gives a message of Gods own redeeming love for His chosen people, even when they spurn Him and prostitute themselves to false gods. Amosis the simple shepherd called by God to denounce a self-satisfied nation for itsgrave social injustice, abhorrent immorality and its shallow and meaninglesspiety. Micah foretells the day when nations shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. He speaks of peace reigning overall who do justice, who love kindness, and who walk humbly with God. Joel isthe prophet who foretells the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon all flesh.Obadiah prophesies the return of the exiles from Babylon. Jonah unwillinglyaccepts Gods command to preach His mercy and forgiveness to a foreignnation.Nahum prophesies the defeat of the powerful Assyrian enemy. Habakkukdeals with the perennial question, How long, O Lord, shall I cry out to You,and You will not hear me? (Hab 1:2). Zephaniah prophesies the dark days ofJudahs destruction, but promises comfort and conciliation to those who waitpatiently for the Lord and serve Him. Haggai, following the return of the exiles, exhorts them to rebuild the destroyed temple in order to unify theirdisrupted religious life and, more importantly, to prepare for the coming ofthe long awaited Messiah.Zechariah prophesies the image of the messianic Prince of Peace, theGood Shepherd who would lay down His life for the flock. Malachi exhortsGods people to faithfulness and asserts the fatherhood of God over allnations. He foretells that God will appoint a forerunner, similar to the ancientprophet Elijah (or Elias) who will appear before the Messiah and prepare theworld for the coming Day of the Lord.Isaiah exhorts the people of God to place their confidence in the Lord,and to lead private and public lives which manifest this reliance. From Isaiah,we hear the prophecies of a Son to be born of a virgin, and of the Suffering

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Servantthe Messiahwho would be led as an innocent sheep to the slaughter, and by whose stripes we would be healed. Jeremiah severely criticizesGods people for abandoning the one true God and turning instead to theworship of idols. Baruch was appointed to be read on feast days as a confession of sins. In Lamentations, the author Jeremiah mourns the destruction ofthe holy city of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. The Epistle of Jeremiah isaddressed to those about to be carried off into exile in Babylon.Ezekiel, the prophet of the exiles, assures his hearers of the abiding presence of God amongst them, even in exile and servitude. Finally, Daniel writesan apocalyptic or mystical end-time prophecy which is filled with difficult andoften obscure signs and symbols. In the Greek LXX, Daniel begins with theheroic story of Susanna and ends with the fascinating account of Bel and theSerpent.These forty-nine God-inspired Old Testament books divided into four sectionsbooks of the Law, of History, of Wisdom, and of Prophecywhichserve as an introduction to John the Baptists preparation of the world for thecoming of the Messiah, who is Isaiahs Suffering Servant, Zechariahs Princeof Peace, and the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the flock.1 THE NEW TESTAMENT 2

The Four Gospels

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John recall the events in the life of Jesus Christ,Son of God and Son of Man. The first three are called the Synoptic Gospels,in that they set forth a common viewpoint of the chronology of events andthe message of Christ in His life and ministry. Matthew addresses his gospelprimarily to fellow Jews. Mark is likely the first gospel to be written, andspeaks of Christ as servant of all (Mk 10:45). Luke, himself a physician, revealsthe Incarnate Christ and His earthly ancestry. This Son of Man saves and healsthe fallen race.John, the last of the four gospels to be written, emphasizes the divinity ofChrist, the eternal Son and Word of God, who became Man. Johns gospelfurther reveals seven miracles of Christ, not all of them in chronological order.ActsWritten by St. Luke, these are the Acts (or accomplishments) of the Apostles, but mainly of Peter (chapters 112) and Paul (chapters 1328). Actschronicles the earliest history of the Church from Pentecost through approximately AD 65.The Letters (or Epistles) of St. PaulThe first nine of Pauls letters are written to churches. Romans, which begins this section, was the only letter Paul wrote to a community he had not

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previously visited. Thus, the implication is that much of what he wrote to thechurch at Rome he preached in other places.Most prominent of the cities of first century Greece was Corinth, a centerof commerce, immorality and false religion. Predictably, this fledgling churchwould have to deal with these same matters. First Corinthians is therefore acorrective epistle calling for unity, virtue, forbearance, Eucharistic order andproper use of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. In contrast Second Corinthians recognizes the repentance within the church on the part of many, and St. Pauldefends his apostolic authority.In Galatians, Paul addresses several churches in Asia Minor, defending hisapostleship and calling the faithful to live their lives in the strength of theHoly Spirit instead of in submission to the laws of the old covenant. Ephesiansis a marvelous discourse on how the Church should conduct itself. This community is rich in dedication to Christ. Yet just a few decades later the Lordtells them, you have left your first love (Rev 2:4).Philippians is the epistle of joy. Paul writes from a Roman prison, Rejoicein the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! (Php 4:4). Colossians presentsChrist as the head of the body, the church . . . (Col 1:18), preeminent in allthings.First Thessalonians, the first letter St. Paul penned, was written to the believers at Thessalonica, a beautiful coastal city of Greece in about AD 51,shortly after Paul planted that Church. This is a letter of encouragement.Second Thessalonians acknowledges persecution and warns of lawlessness, urging the Christians to stand fast and hold the traditions which you weretaught . . . (2Th 2:15).Next, Paul addresses the following letters to individuals. In FirstTimothy, the aging apostle speaks to his youthful understudy about effectiveoversight of the church. In Second Timothy, the last letter St. Paul wrote(see 2Ti 4:68), he encourages Timothy to be strong in the grace that isin Christ Jesus (2Ti 2:1). Paul is already in prison in Rome (1:8) awaitingmartyrdom.Titus is sent by Paul to Crete to set the church in order, and appointelders in every city (Tts 1:5). If this sounds like the work of a bishop, it is(Tts 1:7, 8), and Titus is consistently named in early Church records as thefirst bishop of Crete. Philemon is a Christian slave-holder, and Paul writes himto receive back Onesimus (Phm 1016), his runaway slave, who has becomea Christian with Paul in Rome.Hebrews is the last of the epistles attributed to St. Paul, but with little evidence it was actually written by Paul. It is a general letter to Jewish believersin Christ to continue on in the Faith. It assures them that Christ, the greatHigh Priest in the heavenlies (Heb 8:1), is their once for all sacrifice for sin(Heb 10:10) and victor over death (Heb 12:1, 2).

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The General Epistles

James, the brother of the Lord and first bishop of Jerusalem, writes to fellow Jews, the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad (Jam 1:1). Hismessage? Faith without works is dead (Jam 1:20). Christianity is a beliefthat behaves.First Peter, written by the first among the apostles, urges obedience toGod and man, willingness to suffer for Christs sake, and effective pastoring ofthe flock. In Second Peter, the apostle discusses divine power for the faithful(deification), divine judgment for false teachers and the Day of the Lord.Next, John the Theologian offers three general epistles. First John is a stirring personal testimonial to Gods forgiveness, His love for His children andHis gift of eternal life. In Second John, he addresses an elect lady and her children (v. 1), urging them to obey the Lords commands and beware ofdeceivers. Third John commends Gaius and Demetrius, and warns againstDiotrephes.Finally, Jude, the Lords brother, writes a short letter exhorting the faithfulto contend for the truth and to beware of the devils servants. He finisheswith a stunning benediction.RevelationWritten by St. John the Theologian, he entitles his book The Revelationof Jesus Christ (1:1). What the book of Daniel is to the Old Testament,Revelation is to the New Testament. Another title is the Apocalypse, which is atransliteration of the Greek word for revelation or unveiling. The bookspeaks prophetically both to current and future events, to judgment and salvation, and ends with the glorious New Jerusalem coming down out of heavenas a bride adorned for her husband (21:2).

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INTRODUCING THEORTHODOX CHURCHThe publication of The Orthodox Study Bible begs a question: exactly what is theOrthodox Church? Many people have heard of the Russian Orthodox Church whichcelebrated its 1000th birthday in 1988, or the Greek Orthodox Church which was borncenturies earlier. But Orthodoxy itselfwhat is it, and what are its historic roots?1 THE CHURCH IN THE NEW TESTAMENT 2To answer the question, let us go back to the pages of the New Testament, specifically tothe Book of Acts and the birth of the Church at Pentecost. For on that day the Holy Spiritdescended on the twelve apostles in the Upper Room, and by afternoon some 3000 souls believed in Christ and were baptized. The Scriptures record that when the first Christiancommunity began, they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles teaching and tofellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer (Acts 2:42).From Jerusalem, the faith in Christ spread throughout Judea, to Samaria (Acts 8:539),to Antioch and the Gentiles (Acts 11:1926). We find new converts and new Churchesthroughout Asia Minor and the Roman Empire as recorded in Acts and the Epistles.The Church, of course, was not simply another organization in Roman society. The LordJesus Christ had given the promise of the Holy Spirit to lead you into all truth (Jn 16:13).With the fulfillment of that promise beginning with Pentecost, the Church was born far beyond mere institutional status. She was not an organization with mystery, but a mystery withorganization. St. Paul called the Church a dwelling place of God in the Spirit (Eph 2:22).The Church was a dynamic organism, the living Body of Jesus Christ. She made an indelibleimpact in the world, and those who lived in her life and faith were personally transformed.But we also discover in the New Testament itself that the Church had her share of problems. All was not perfection. Some individuals even within the Church sought to lead her offthe path the apostles established, and they had to be dealt with along with the errors they invented. Even whole local communities lapsed on occasion and were called to repentance. TheChurch in Laodicea is a vivid example (Rev 3:1422). Discipline was administered for thesake of purity in the Church. But there was growth and maturation, even as the Church wasattacked from within and without. The same Spirit who gave her birth gave her power forpurity and correction, and she stood strong and grew, eventually invading the whole of theRoman Empire.1 THE EARLY CENTURIES 2As the Church moves from the pages of the New Testament and on into the succeedingcenturies of her history, it is helpful to trace her growth and development in terms of specificcategories. We shall look first at a category important for all Christian people: doctrine. Didshe maintain the truth of God as given by Christ and His apostles? Second, what about worship? Is there a discernible way in which the people of God have offered a sacrifice of praiseand thanksgiving to Him? Third, we will consider Church government. What sort of polity didthe Church practice?1. Doctrine: Not only did the Church begin under the teaching of the apostles, but she wasalso instructed to stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by wordor our epistle (2Th 2:15). The apostle Paul insisted that those matters delivered by him andhis fellow apostles, both in person and in the writings that would come to be called the NewTestament, be adhered to carefully. Thus, followed such appropriate warnings as in the nameof Jesus Christ . . . withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according tothe tradition which he received from us (2Th 3:6). The doctrines taught by Christ and Hisdisciples are to be safeguarded by the Church, the pillar and support of the truth (1Ti 3:15)and are not open for renegotiation.

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Midway through the first century, a dispute had arisen in Antioch over adherence to OldTestament laws. The matter could not be settled there; outside help was needed. The leadersof the Antiochian Church, the community which had earlier dispatched Paul and Barnabas asmissionaries, brought the matter to Jerusalem for consideration by the apostles and eldersthere. The matter was discussed, debated, and a written decision was forthcoming.It was James, the brother of the Lord and the first bishop of Jerusalem, who put forth thesolution to the problem. This settlement, agreed to by all concerned at what is known as theCouncil of Jerusalem (Acts 15:135), set the pattern for the use of Church councils in thecenturies ahead to settle doctrinal and moral issues that arose. Thus, throughout the history ofthe Church we find scores of such councils, and on various levels, to settle matters of disputeand to deal with those who do not adhere to the Apostolic faith.The first three hundred years of Christian history were marked by the appearance of certain heresies or false teachings such as secret philosophic schemes for the elite (Gnosticism),dazzling prophetic aberrations (Montanism), and grave errors regarding the three Persons ofthe Trinity (Sabellianism).Then, in the early fourth century, a heresy with potential for Church-wide disruptionappeared, propagated by one Arius, a presbyter in Alexandria, Egypt. He denied the eternality of the Son of God, claiming contrary to the apostles doctrine that the Son was a createdbeing who came into existence at a point in time and thus was not truly God. This deadlyerror struck the Church like a cancer. Turmoil spread almost everywhere. The first Churchwide, or Ecumenical, Council met in Nicea in AD 325 to address this issue. Some 318bishops, along with many priests, deacons and laymen rejected the new teaching of Ariusand his associates, upholding the apostles doctrine of Christ, affirming the eternality of theSon and His consubstantiality with the Father. Their proclamation of the Apostolic teachingconcerning Christ included a creed, which, with the additions concerning the Holy Spiritmade in 381 at the Council of Constantinople, forms the document we today call theNicene Creed.Between the years 325 and 787, seven such Church-wide conclaves were held, all dealingfirst and foremost with some specific challenge to the Apostolic teaching about Jesus Christ.These councils, meeting in the cities of Nicea, Ephesus, Chalcedon, and Constantinople, areknown as the Seven Ecumenical Councils.For the first thousand years of Christian history, the entire Church, save for the heretics,embraced and defended the New Testament Apostolic faith. There was no consequential division. And this one faith, preserved through all trials, attacks and tests, this Apostolic doctrine,was called the Orthodox faith.2. Worship: Doctrinal purity was tenaciously maintained. But true Christianity is far more thanadherence to a set of correct beliefs alone. The life of the Church is centrally expressed in herworship, adoration of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It was Jesus Himself Who toldthe woman at the well, the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him (Jn 4:23).At the Last Supper, Jesus instituted the Eucharist, the communion service, when He tookbread and wine, gave a blessing, and said to His disciples, This is My body which is given foryou; do this in remembrance of Me and This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which isshed for you (Lk 22:19, 21). From the New Testament we know the Church participated incommunion at least each Lords Day (Acts 20:7, 11). From such first and second centurysources as the Didache, the letters of St. Ignatius of Antioch, and St. Justin Martyr, we are assured the Eucharist is the very center of Christian worship from the Apostolic era on.And just as the Law, the Psalms, and the Prophets were read in the Temple worship andthe synagogue in Israel, so the Church also immediately gave high priority to the public reading of Scripture and to preaching in her worship, along with the Eucharistic meal.

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Even before the middle of the first century, Christian worship was known by the termliturgy which literally means the common work or the work of the people. The earlyliturgy of the Churchs worship was composed of two essential parts, (1) the liturgy of theword, including hymns, Scripture reading, and preaching and (2) the liturgy of the faithful,composed of intercessory prayers, the kiss of peace, and the Eucharist. From virtually the beginning, Christian worship has had a definable shape or form which continues to this day.Modern Christians advocating freedom from liturgy in worship are usually shocked tolearn that spontaneity was never the practice in the ancient Church! A basic pattern or shape ofChristian worship was observed from the start. And as the Church grew and matured, liturgymatured as well. Hymns, Scripture readings, and prayers were intertwined in the basic foundation. A clear, purposeful procession through the year, marking and joining in word, song, andpraise the birth, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ, andsancitfying crucial aspects of Christian life and experience, was forthcoming. The Christian lifewas lived in reality in the worship of the Church. Far from being routine, the worship of thehistoric Church participated in the unfolding drama of the richness and mystery of the Gospelitself!Further, specific landmarks in our salvation and walk with Christ were celebrated andsanctified. Baptism and the anointing with oil, or chrismation, were there from the start. Marriage, healing, confession of sin, and ordination to the ministry of the Gospel are other earlyrites in the Church. On each of these occasions Christians understood, in a great mystery,grace and power from God were being given according to the individual need of each person.The Church saw these events as holy moments in her life and called them mysteries or sacraments.3. Government: No one seriously questions whether the apostles of Christ led the Church ather beginning. They had been given the commission to preach the Gospel (Mt 28:19, 20) andthe authority to forgive or retain sins (Jn 20:23). Theirs was by no means a preaching-onlymission! They built the Church itself under Christs headship. To govern it, three definite andpermanent offices, as taught in the New Testament, were in evidence.a. The office of bishop. The apostles themselves were the first bishops in the Church. Evenbefore Pentecost, after Judas had turned traitor, Peter declared in applying Psalm 108:8, Lethis bishopric another take (Acts 1:20). The word bishopric refers, of course, to the officeof bishop and its use indicates the apostles themselves are bishops. Some have mistakenlyargued the office of bishop was a later invention. Quite to the contrary, the apostles werethemselves bishops, and they appointed bishops to succeed them to oversee the Church ineach locality.Occasionally, the objection is still heard that the office of bishop and presbyter wereoriginally identical. The terms are used interchangeably in the New Testament while the apostles were present, the bishop being the presiding elder in a local church. But after the apostlesdeaths, the offices of bishop and presbyter soon became distinct throughout the Church.Ignatius of Antioch, consecrated bishop by AD 70 in the Church from which Paul andBarnabas had been sent out, writes just after the turn of the century that bishops appointedby the apostles, surrounded by their presbyters, were everywhere in the Church.b. The office of presbyter. Elders or presbyters are mentioned very early in the life of theChurch in Acts and the Epistles. It is evident that in each place a Christian community developed, elders were appointed by the apostles to pastor the people.As time passed, presbyters were referred to in the short form of the word as prests, thenas priests, in full view of the fact that the Old Covenant priesthood had been fulfilled inChrist and that the Church is corporately a priesthood of believers. The priest was not understood as an intermediary between God and the people nor as a dispenser of grace. It was therole of the priest to be the presence of Christ in the Christian community. And in the very

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capacity of being the presence of the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ, the priest was to safeguardthe flock of God.c. The office of deacon. The third order or office in the government of the New TestamentChurch was the deacon. At first the apostles fulfilled this office themselves. But with the rapidgrowth of the Church, seven initial deacons were selected (Acts 6:17) to help carry theresponsibility of service to those in need. It was one of these deacons, Stephen, who becamethe first martyr of the Church.Through the centuries, the deacons have not only served the material needs of theChurch, but have held a key role in the liturgical life of the Church as well. Often called theeyes and ears of the bishop, many deacons have become priests and ultimately entered theepiscopal office.The authority of the bishop, presbyter, and deacon was not anciently understood asbeing apart from the people, but always from among the people. In turn the people ofGod were called to submit to those who ruled over them (Heb 13:17), and they were alsocalled to give their agreement to the direction of the leaders for the Church. On a numberof occasions in history, that Amen was not forthcoming, and the bishops of the Churchtook note and changed course. Later in history, many Church leaders departed from theancient model and usurped authority for themselves. In the minds of some this broughtthe ancient model into question. But the problem was not in the model but in the deviationfrom it.It should also be mentioned that it was out of the ministry and life of the apostles that thepeople of God, the laity, were established in the Church. Far from being a herd of observers,the laity are vital in the effectiveness of the Church. They are the recipients and active users ofthe gifts and grace of the Spirit. Each of the laity has a role in the life and function of theChurch. Each is to supply something to the whole (1Co 12:7). And it is the responsibility ofthe bishops, the priests, and the deacons to be sure that this is a reality for the laity.The worship of the Church at the close of its first 1000 years had substantially the sameshape from place to place. The doctrine was the same. The whole Church confessed one creed,the same in every place, and had weathered many attacks. The government of the Church wasrecognizably one everywhere. And this One Church was the Orthodox Church.1 DISAGREEMENTS BETWEEN WEST AND EAST 2Tensions began to mount as the first millennium was drawing to a close. While numerousdoctrinal, political, economic, and cultural factors were working to separate the Church in anEast-West division, two giant divisive issues ultimately emerged above others: (1) that oneman, the Pope of Rome, considered himself the universal bishop of the Church and (2) theaddition of a novel clause to the Churchs creed.1. The Papacy: Among the Twelve, Saint Peter was early acknowledged as the leader. He wasspokesman for the Twelve before and after Pentecost. He was the first bishop of Antioch andlater bishop of Rome. No one challenged his role.After the death of the apostles, as leadership in the Church developed, the bishop ofRome came to be recognized as first in honor, even though all bishops were equals. But afternearly 300 years, the bishop of Rome slowly began to assume to himself a role of superiorityover the others, ultimately claiming to be the only true successor to Peter. The vast majority ofthe other bishops of the Church never questioned Romes primacy of honor, but they patentlyrejected the Roman bishops claim as the universal head of the Church on earth. This assumption of papal power became one major factor in rending the Roman Church, and all those itcould gather with it, from the historic Orthodox Church.2. The Addition to the Creed: A disagreement concerning the Holy Spirit also began todevelop in the Church. Does the Holy Spirit proceed from the Father? Or, does He proceedfrom the Father and the Son?

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Our Lord Jesus Christ teaches, But when the Helper comes, Whom I shall send to youfrom the Father, the Spirit of truth Who proceeds from the Father, he will testify of Me(Jn 15:26). This is the basic statement in all the New Testament about the Holy Spirit proceeding, and it is clear: He proceeds from the Father.Thus, when the ancient council at Constantinople in AD 381 reaffirmed the Creed ofNicea (AD 325), it expanded that Creed to proclaim these familiar words: And in the HolySpirit, the Lord and Life-Giver, Who proceeds from the Father, Who is worshipped and glorified together with the Father and the Son. . . .But two hundred years later, at a local council in Toledo, Spain (AD 589), King Reccareddeclared, the Holy Spirit also should be confessed by us and taught to proceed from the Father and the Son. The King may have meant well, but he was contradicting Jesus teaching,confessed by the entire Church, concerning the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, that local Spanishcouncil agreed with his error.Because of the teaching of the Holy Scriptures, believed by the Church at Nicea and atConstantinople and for centuries beyond, there is no reason to believe anything other thanthat the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father.But centuries later, in what was at least partially a politically motivated move, the Pope ofRome unilaterally changed the universal creed of the Church without an ecumenical council.Though this change was initially rejected in both East and West, even by some of Romes closest neighboring bishops, the Pope managed to eventually get the West to capitulate. Theconsequence, of course, in the Western Church has been the tendency to relegate the HolySpirit to a lesser place than God the Father and God the Son. The change may appear small,but the consequences have proven disastrously immense. This issue, with the Pope departingfrom the Orthodox doctrine of the Church, became another instrumental cause separating theRoman Church from the historic Orthodox Church, the New Testament Church.1 THE GREAT SCHISM 2Conflict between the Roman Pope and the East mountedespecially in the Popes dealingswith the bishop, or patriarch, of Constantinople. The Pope even went so far as to claim theauthority to decide who should be the bishop of Constantinople, in marked violation of historicalprecedent. No longer operating within the government of the New Testament Church, the Popeappeared to be seeking by political means to bring the whole Church under his domination.Bizarre intrigues followed, one upon the other, as a series of Roman popes pursued thisunswerving goal of attempting to control all Christendom. Perhaps the most incredible incident of these political, religious, and even military schemes occurred in the year 1054. ACardinal, sent by the Pope, slapped a document on the altar of the Church of Holy Wisdom inConstantinople during the Sunday worship, excommunicating the Patriarch of Constantinoplefrom the Church!The Pope, of course, had no legitimate right to do this. But the repercussions were staggering. Some dismal chapters of Church history were written during the next decades. Theultimate consequence of the Popes action was that the whole Roman Catholic Church endedup dividing itself from the New Testament faith of Orthodox Christianity. The schism hasnever been healed.As the centuries passed conflict continued. Attempts at union failed and the RomanChurch drifted farther and farther from its historic roots. There are inevitable consequences indeviating from the Church. The breaking away of Rome from the historic Orthodox Churchwould prove no exception.1 FURTHER DIVISIONS IN THE WEST 2During the centuries after AD 1054, the growing distinction between East and West wasbecoming indelibly marked in history. The East maintained the full stream of New Testament

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faith, worship, and practiceall the while enduring great persecution. The Western or RomanChurch, crippled because of its schism from the Orthodox Church, bogged down in manycomplex problems. Then, less than five centuries after Rome committed itself to its unilateralalteration of doctrine and practice, another upheaval was festeringthis time not next door tothe East, but inside the Western gates themselves.Though many in the West had spoken out against Roman domination and practice in earlier years, now a little-known German monk named Martin Luther inadvertently launched anattack against certain Roman Catholic practices which ended up affecting world history. Hisfamous Ninety-Five Theses were nailed to the Church door at Wittenburg in 1517. In a shorttime those theses were signalling the start of what came to be called in the West the ProtestantReformation. Luther sought an audience with the Pope but was denied, and in 1521 he wasexcommunicated from the Roman Church. He had intended no break with Rome. Its papalsystem of government, heavy with authority, refused conciliation. The door to future unity inthe West slammed shut with a resounding crash.The protests of Luther were not unnoticed. The reforms he sought in Germany weresoon accompanied by demands of Ulrich Zwingli in Zurich, John Calvin in Geneva, and hundreds of others all over Western Europe. Fueled by complex political, social, and economicfactors, in addition to religious problems, the Reformation spread like a raging fire into virtually every nook and cranny of the Roman Church. The ecclesiastical monopoly to which it hadgrown accustomed was greatly diminished, and massive division replaced its artificial unity. Theripple effect of that division impacts even our own day as the Protestant movement itself continues to split and shatter.If trouble on the continent were not trouble enough, the Church of England was in theprocess of going its own way as well. Henry VIII, amidst his marital problems, replaced thePope of Rome with himself as head of the Church of England. For only a few short yearswould the Pope ever again have ascendency in England. And the English Church itself wouldsoon experience great division.As decade followed decade in the West, the many branches of Protestantism took variousforms. There were even divisions that insisted they were neither Protestant nor RomanCatholic. All seemed to share a mutual dislike for the Bishop of Rome and the practice of hisChurch, and most wanted far less centralized forms of leadership. While some, such as theLutherans and Anglicans, held on to certain forms of liturgy and sacrament, others, such as theReformed Churches and the even more radical Anabaptists and their descendants, questionedand rejected many biblical ideas of hierarchy, sacrament, historic tradition, and other elementsof Christian practice, no matter when and where they appeared in history, thinking they werefreeing themselves of Roman Catholicism. To this day, many sincere, modern, professingChristians will reject even the biblical data which speaks of historic Christian practice, simplybecause they think such historic practices are Roman Catholic. To use the old adage, theythrew the baby out with the bathwater without even being aware of it.Thus, while retaining, in varying degrees, portions of foundational Christianity, neitherProtestantism nor Catholicism can lay historic claim to being the true New Testament Church.In dividing from the Orthodox Christianity, Rome forfeited its place in the Church of theNew Testament. In the divisions of the Reformation, the Protestantsas well-meaning as theymight have beenfailed to return to the New Testament Church.1 THE ORTHODOX CHURCH TODAY 2But that original Church, the Church of Peter and Paul and the apostlesdespite persecution, political oppression, and desertion on certain of its flanksmiraculously carries on todaythe same faith and life of the Church of the New Testament. Admittedly, the style of Orthodoxy looks complicated to the modern Protestant eye, and understandably so. But given anhistorical understanding of how the Church has progressed, it may be seen that the simple

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Christ-centered faith of the apostles is fully preserved in its doctrines, practices, services, andeven in its architecture.In Orthodoxy today, as in years gone by, the basics of Christian doctrine, worship, andgovernment are never up for alteration. One cannot be an Orthodox priest, for example, andreject the divinity of Christ, His virgin birth, resurrection, ascension into heaven, and secondcoming. The Church simply has not left its course in nearly 2000 years. It is One, Holy,Catholic, and Apostolic. It is the New Testament Church. The gates of hell have not prevailedagainst it.But Orthodoxy is also, in the words of one of her bishops, the best kept secret in America. Though there are more than 225 million Orthodox Christians in the world today, manyin the West are not familiar with the Church. In North America, for example, the OrthodoxChurch has, until recently, been largely restricted to ethnic boundaries, not spreading muchbeyond the parishes of the committed immigrants that brought the Church to the shores ofthis continent.Still, the Holy Spirit has continued His work, causing new people to discover this Churchof the New Testament. People have begun to find Orthodox Christianity both through thewritings of the early Church Fathers, and through the humble witness of contemporary Orthodox Christians. Significant numbers of evangelicals, Episcopalians and mainline Protestantsare becoming Orthodox. And Orthodox student groups are springing up on campuses worldwide. The word is getting out.What, then, is the Orthodox Church? It is the first Christian Church in history, theChurch founded by the Lord Jesus Christ, described in the pages of the New Testament. Herhistory can be traced in unbroken continuity all the way back to Christ and His Twelve apostles.And what is it thats missing in the non-Orthodox Churcheseven the best of them?Fullness. For the fullness of the New Testament faith is to be found only in the NewTestament Church. Being in the Church does not guarantee all those in it will take advantageof the fullness of the faith. But the fullness of the faith is there for those who do.For persons who seriously desire the fullness of Orthodox Christianity, action must betaken. There must be a return to this Church of the New Testament. Being aware of this ancient Church is not enough. In our time people have had ample opportunity to investigate anddecide about the Roman Catholic faith, the Baptist, the Lutheran, and so on. But relativelyfew have taken a serious look at the Orthodox Church. Three specific suggestions will providethose interested with a tangible means of becoming acquainted with Orthodox Christianity ona personal basis.1. Visit: Look up Orthodox or Eastern Orthodox in the Church section of your YellowPages. Ask the whereabouts of the nearest Orthodox parish. Pay a visitseveral visits. Meet thepriest, and ask him to help you study and learn. And be prepared to exercise patiencesometimes a portion of the Liturgy is not in English! But the Service Book in the pew will help.2. Read: There are a number of books and periodicals immensely helpful to people seeking tolearn about the Orthodox Church. The Orthodox Church by Kallistos Ware (Penguin); For theLife of the World by Alexander Schmemann (St. Vladimir Seminary Press); The Apostolic Fathersedited by Jack N. Sparks (Light and Life Publishers), and Becoming Orthodox by Peter E.Gillquist, Divine Energy by Jon E. Braun, and AGAIN Magazine (all by Conciliar Press).3. Write: The people at Conciliar Press (P.O. Box 76, Ben Lomond, CA 95005-0076) havevolunteered to answer questions regarding the Orthodox Church from Orthodox Study Biblereaders, and to suggest further reading. Send your name and address, with a request for information.In a day when Christians are realizing anew the centrality and importance of worship, ofthe Church as the body of Christ, and the need to preserve true Christian faith, the doors of

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Orthodoxy are open wide. The invitation is extended to come and see. Examine her faith,her worship, her history, her commitment to Christ, her love for God the Father, hercommunion with the Holy Spirit.For two thousand years the Orthodox Church has by Gods mercy kept the faith deliveredonce for all to the saints. Within her walls is the fullness of the salvation which was realizedwhen God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes inHim should not perish, but have everlasting life (Jn 3:16).

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THE BOOK

OF

J AMESAuthorThe author identifies himself as James, a bondservant of God and

dof the Lord Jesus Christ (1:1). Early Church tradition ascribes this letter toJames, the brother or kinsman of our Lord and first bishop of Jerusalem,known as James the Just.

DateAD 5560. James the Just was martyred about AD 62. Some consider his

dletter the first New Testament book, written after the martyrdom of Stephenand the dispersion of Christians from Jerusalem (Acts 8:1).

Major ThemeThe harmony of faith and works. The letter has many direct

dparallels with the Sermon on the Mount. James does not teach we are saved

by works, but he does teach that a dead faith, one without works, does notsave.This is an early polemic against invisible religion, wherein salvation byfaith has no visible works, and against antinomianism, the teaching that moralbehavior is irrelevant to salvation. James is clear: the human will is notbypassed in salvation; grace does not nullify personal responsibility.

BackgroundUnlike most New Testament letters, James does not address a

dparticular church, or even a geographical region, but the twelve tribes

which are scattered abroad (1:1).Though James was a Jewish Christian andassumes the recipients are familiar with the Old Testament, the letter iswritten in elegant Greek.There is no indication that it addresses only JewishChristians.The people James addresses are experiencing various trials:persecution, deception, economic injustice and poverty, apostasy and personalfragmentations in the Church. James uses his authority as bishop to rekindletrue living faith and encourage repentance, patience, and self-control.

IV.The Power of the Tongue (3:118)

9Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltab 10but the rich in his humiliation, betion,James, a bondservant of God and of thecause as a flower of the field he will passLord Jesus Christ,away. 11For no sooner has the sun risenTo the twelve tribes which are scattered with a burning heat than it withers theabroad:grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man alsoGreetings.bwill fade away in his pursuits.

1 The Purpose of Trials 2

1 Temptations 2

brethren, count it all joy when you

fall into various trials,b 3knowing that thetesting of your faith produces patience.4But let patience have its perfect work, thatyou may be perfect and complete, lackingnothing.

is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, hewill receive the crown of life which theLord has promised to those who love Him.b13Let no one say when he is tempted, I amtempted by God; for God cannot betempted by evil, nor does He Himself temptanyone.b 14But each one is tempted whenhe is drawn away by his own desires andenticed.b 15Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when itis full-grown, brings forth death.16Do not be deceived, my belovedbrethren. 17Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes downfrom the Father of lights, with whom there

2My

1 Wisdom for Trials 2

5If

any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask

of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.b6But let him ask in faith, with no doubting,for he who doubts is like a wave of the seadriven and tossed by the wind.b 7For let notthat man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-mindedman, unstable in all his ways.

12Blessed

1:1 James establishes his authoritynot as a brother of Christ or bishop of Jerusalembut as a bondservant (self-indentured slave) of God. For the Jews, God is the only ruler, and true honor comes fromHim. God refers to the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ to the Son of God incarnate. Scattered abroad(Gr. diaspora) refers to Jews in exile, but James applies it to the ChurchJewish and Gentile Christiansalikeon pilgrimage.1:2 Trials, the worlds oppression, take place by Gods permission. The issue is not trials but our responseto them. Properly received, trials reveal where our hearts are. They are food for faith, which must growor die. The godly reaction to trials is joy and perseverance (Mt 5:11, 12; Acts 5:41; Rom 5:2, 3; 8:18;Heb 12:11; 1Pt 2:19). Though unkind circumstances are from the evil one, to get angry at circumstancesis to get angry at God, who permits them.1:5 Wisdom, the practical and spiritual knowledge required for skilled living, comes to those who askof God, who pray to Him. While James loves Gods law, for him faith is not found in rules, as with thePharisees, but in a relationship with God.1:68 Prayer as petition is effective when it is done in faith, with no doubting (v. 6). We need an unquestioning loyalty to God along with the confidence that comes from a life stable in all its ways (v. 8).While James teaches the necessity of works, for him works demonstrate a living faith. By contrast,doubting (v. 6) means questioning God. Double-mindedness (v. 8) speaks of one who has two loyalties,love of the world competing with love for God (see Mt 6:24). Such unstable life deadens our conscienceand turns us aside from the truth.1:911 Note the reversal of the order of the world. The lowly (v. 9), those who have the least here, willhave the most in the Kingdom of heaven (see 2:5; Mt 5:3; Lk 1:52), but they are tempted to be bitterand envious. The rich (v. 10) may perceive their goods as passing, but they are tempted to be greedyand arrogant and may thereby lose true wealth (see 5:112).1:12 We are to rejoice even in temptations. They reveal whether or not we are prepared for heaven(see 1Co 9:25).1:13 James has discussed outward trials (vv. 111). He now turns to inward temptations, which deceiveus and lead us into sin. God tries us, but He never tempts us.1:14, 15 The immediate origin of a temptation is our own sinful passions, which the devil energizes.Temptation begins with desires or lusts, then progresses to being conceived, a fixation on or delight insinful desires, and ends as birth to sin, a consent to or acting out of sinful desires. We fall to temptationbecause we allow ourselves to do so. Neither God nor circumstances force us to yield.

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1675is no variation or shadow of turning.b 18OfHis own will He brought us forth by theword of truth, that we might be a kind offirstfruits of His creatures.b1 The Corrective: Hear and Do 2

then,a my beloved brethren, let every

man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow towrath;b 20for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.21Therefore lay aside all filthiness andoverflow of wickedness, and receive withmeekness the implanted word, which isable to save your souls.b22But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer,he is like a man observing his natural facein a mirror; 24for he observes himself, goesaway, and immediately forgets what kindof man he was. 25But he who looks into theperfect law of liberty and continues in it,and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer ofthe work, this one will be blessed in whathe does.b26If anyone among youa thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but

JAMES 2:5

deceives his own heart, this ones religion

is useless.b 27Pure and undefiled religionbefore God and the Father is this: to visitorphans and widows in their trouble, andto keep oneself unspotted from the world.1 The Law of Love 2

19So

My brethren, do not hold the faith of

our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord ofglory, with partiality.b 2For if there shouldcome into your assembly a man with goldrings, in fine apparel, and there should alsocome in a poor man in filthy clothes, 3andyou pay attention to the one wearing thefine clothes and say to him, You sit here ina good place, and say to the poor man,You stand there, or, Sit here at my footstool, 4have you not shown partialityamong yourselves, and become judges withevil thoughts?5Listen, my beloved brethren: Has Godnot chosen the poor of this world to berich in faith and heirs of the kingdom1:19 aNU-Text reads Know this or This youknow. 1:26 aNU-Text omits among you.

1:17 As Father of lights, God reigns over both the visible and invisible creation. He is Creator of all andthe giver of spiritual gifts. The first part of this verse is used in the Divine Liturgy, in the prayer beforeChrists icon.1:18 God provides our salvation of His own will, not of necessity. Brought us forth: He begot us, areference to baptism, by which we become children of God by grace. The word of truth is the Gospel,the precious, unchanging doctrines of the faith. We are the firstfruits of His creatures: In salvation webenefit not by taking on the essence or nature of God, but by putting on a new humanity consecratedto God (as with firstfruits in the OT). Humanity is preeminent over all creation, and through our salvation all creation is likewise being changed. The first half of this verse appears in the Divine Liturgy inthe prayer of thanksgiving after the faithful receive Communion.1:19, 20 The wrath of man is unjust, ungracious, and severe. It proceeds from uncontrolled anger, notfrom Gods judgment. For us to discern the righteousness of God requires patience, graciousness, andcontrolled passions.1:21 While the word was implanted in baptism, Christians continue to receive Him throughout theirlives.1:25 James takes the Jewish notion of freedomobedience to the Lawand applies it to Christs law,His commandment to love others as He loved us. James uses the OT form in 2:8.1:26, 27 Here are three examples of the relationship between faith and works. (1) Mastery overspeech: What proceeds out of the mouth flows from the heart, for sooner or later our tongue will reveal the quality of our faith in God. (2) Ministry to the needy: Faithful Christians must be the guardiansof the poor, especially of those orphans and widows who have lost their natural guardians. Do not letthe widows be neglected; after the Lord, you must be their guardian (IgnAnt). (3) Moral purity inthought and deed: A traditional indicator of a working faith. Let us make haste to wash away throughfasting the filth of our transgressions, and through acts of mercy and compassion to the needy let usenter into the bridal chamber of the Bridegroom Christ, who grants to us great mercy (Vespers, weekbefore Lent).2:14 Unjustly judging others is an example of fainthearted faith being manifested in unjust works.Favoring the rich over the poor is contrary to true faith. A persons dignity and worth come from God,not from fellow humans. So we must not judge others by the earthly standards of rank, wealth, attainments, and appearance.

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which He promised to those who love

Him?b 6But you have dishonored the poorman. Do not the rich oppress you and dragyou into the courts? 7Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you arecalled?8If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, You shall love yourneighbor as yourself, a you do well;b 9but ifyou show partiality, you commit sin, andare convicted by the law as transgressors.10For whoever shall keep the whole law,and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty ofall. 11For He who said, Do not commitadultery, a also said, Do not murder. bNow if you do not commit adultery, but youdo murder, you have become a transgressorof the law. 12So speak and so do as thosewho will be judged by the law of liberty.13For judgment is without mercy to the onewho has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphsover judgment.

1 Faith that Works 2

does it profit, my brethren, if

someone says he has faith but does nothave works? Can faith save him?b 15If abrother or sister is naked and destitute ofdaily food, 16and one of you says to them,Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,but you do not give them the things whichare needed for the body, what does itprofit? 17Thus also faith by itself, if it doesnot have works, is dead.18But someone will say, You have faith,and I have works. Show me your faithwithout youra works, and I will show youmy faith by myb works. 19You believe thatthere is one God. You do well. Even thedemons believeand tremble!b 20But doyou want to know, O foolish man, that14What

2:8 aLeviticus 19:18 2:11 aExodus 20:14;

2:57 God is not partial to anyone. The poor are more likely to repent and renounce this world for thesake of the kingdom, for they more easily see the emptiness of earthly things. The rich (v. 6), on theother hand, tend to prize earthly things, desire material things, and even hurt others to gain them (seeLk 6:2125; 1Co 1:2628). They may mock Christians for the name by which (v. 7) they are called, thename invoked at baptism.2:813 The corrective standard of judgment is perfect faith manifested in perfect works. The royal law(v. 8), the law of liberty (v. 12; 1:25), is the second great commandment of Christ: love for neighbor(Jn 13:34). The standard by which we judge is that by which we will be judged; the mercy we give willbe the mercy we receive. God has shown mercy to us. Let us in our turn show mercy: let us feed thepoor, and with the divine water of fasting let us wash the defilement from our souls. . . . O heavenlyangels, entreat the Giver of good to accept in His infinite mercy our poor and mean repentance(Matins, Friday before Lent).2:1419 The faith that saves is a complete faith, not just the mind and the tongue but the whole mantrusting in the living God. This means our faith and our relationship with Godour justificationaredynamic and living. Our faith grows and affects our actions, or it dies. Faith alone (by itself, v. 17),static faith, does not save. We must nurture our faith in God and love for Him through our works. Donot say you are the temple of the Lord, writes Jeremiah [see Jer 7:3]; nor should you say that faithalone in our Lord Jesus Christ can save you, for this is impossible unless you acquire love for Himthrough your works. As for faith by itself, the devils also believe, and tremble (MaxCon).2:2024 The faith of Abraham is living and active.(1) In Gn 12:13, when Abraham is 75 years old, he receives a call to forsake all and follow God.(2) In Gn 15:6, when Abraham is almost 85, after he has proven his faith through years of renouncinghis land, family, property, and privileges, God promises him that he will ultimately regain everything hehas given up. Abrahams faith in Gods promise is accounted to him for righteousness. God fulfillsAbrahams faith by making a covenant with him, an OT liturgical and sacramental act.(3) In Gn 22:119, Abraham is at least 110. He has been tested for years concerning Gods promise ofa son. Now, after the covenant sacrament of initiation (circumcision) has been given in Gn 17, comesAbrahams supreme test: the sacrifice of Isaac, his son of promise (Gn 15:6).James reveals that Gn 15:6 is fulfilled in Gn 22. This is a crucial lesson for us in our understanding ofjustification by faith. Neither Abrahams faith nor his justification is merely momentary, static, or onceand-for-all. It is dynamic, a growth process that finds its natural and normal realization in good works.Far from being just point-in-time, Abrahams justification covered at least 25 years after God first declared him just. It is living and active faith that saves!

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1677faith without works is dead?a 21Was notAbraham our father justified by workswhen he offered Isaac his son on thealtar? 22Do you see that faith was workingtogether with his works, and by worksfaith was made perfect? 23And theScripture was fulfilled which says,Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. a Andhe was called the friend of God. 24You seethen that a man is justified by works, andnot by faith only.25Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot alsojustified by works when she received themessengers and sent them out anotherway?26For as the body without the spirit isdead, so faith without works is dead also.b1 The Work of Faith: Controlling WhatWe Say 2

JAMES 4:1

mankind. 8But no man can tame the

tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadlypoison. 9With it we bless our God andFather, and with it we curse men, whohave been made in the similitude of God.10Out of the same mouth proceed blessingand cursing. My brethren, these thingsought not to be so. 11Does a spring sendforth fresh water and bitter from the sameopening? 12Can a fig tree, my brethren,bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thusno spring yields both salt water andfresh.a1 Godly Counsel 2

is wise and understanding among

you? Let him show by good conduct thathis works are done in the meekness of wisdom.b 14But if you have bitter envy andself-seeking in your hearts, do not boastand lie against the truth. 15This wisdomdoes not descend from above, but isearthly, sensual, demonic. 16For whereenvy and self-seeking exist, confusion andevery evil thing are there. 17But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, thenpeaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full ofmercy and good fruits, without partialityand without hypocrisy. 18Now the fruit ofrighteousness is sown in peace by thosewho make peace.13Who

My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shallreceive a stricter judgment.b 2For we allstumble in many things. If anyone doesnot stumble in word, he is a perfect man,able also to bridle the whole body.3Indeed,a we put bits in horses mouthsthat they may obey us, and we turn theirwhole body. 4Look also at ships: althoughthey are so large and are driven by fiercewinds, they are turned by a very smallrudder wherever the pilot desires. 5Even 1 Lack of Faith and Works: Quarrelsin the Church 2so the tongue is a little member and boastsWheredowars and fights come fromgreat things.among you? Do they not come fromSee how great a forest a little fire kindles! 6And the tongue is a fire, a world of your desires for pleasure that war in youriniquity. The tongue is so set among ourmembers that it defiles the whole body,and sets on fire the course of nature; andaNU-Text reads useless.it is set on fire by hell. 7For every kind of 2:202:23 aGenesis 15:6 3:3 aNU-Text reads Now if.beast and bird, of reptile and creature of 3:12 aNU-Text reads Neither can a salty springthe sea, is tamed and has been tamed by produce fresh water.

2:26 This summary of the organic relationship of faith and works (see Mt 7:21; 25:3146; Jn 14:15;Gal 5:6) shows that only God can save.3:112 What we say reveals what we are. If we can control what we say, we can control what we do(vv. 28). For James, this is a prime example of the relationship between faith and works, and a majorlocus of spiritual warfare. James even warns against becoming a Christian teacher (v. 1) and expressesastonishment at how hypocritical and contradictory our speech can be (vv. 912).3:1318 James is also leery about us counseling others, for what is offered as wisdom can be based onpride and other sinful passions. Self-centered faith will manifest itself in self-centered works, in this casehelping others. True wisdom comes from God and proves itself by action (v. 13). Sensual (v. 15;Gr. psychike) means unspiritual, not possessing the spirit of God.

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members?b 2You lust and do not have. You

murder and covet and cannot obtain. Youfight and war.Yeta you do not have becauseyou do not ask. 3You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you mayspend it on your pleasures. 4Adulterersanda adulteresses! Do you not know thatfriendship with the world is enmity withGod? Whoever therefore wants to be afriend of the world makes himself anenemy of God. 5Or do you think that theScripture says in vain, The Spirit whodwells in us yearns jealously?6But He gives more grace. Therefore Hesays:God resists the proud,But gives grace to the humble. a7Therefore

submit to God. Resist the

devil and he will flee from you. 8Draw nearto God and He will draw near to you.Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.9Lament and mourn and weep! Let yourlaughter be turned to mourning and yourjoy to gloom. 10Humble yourselves in thesight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.1 Criticizing Others 211Do

not speak evil of one another,

brethren. He who speaks evil of a brotherand judges his brother, speaks evil of the

law and judges the law. But if you judge the

law, you are not a doer of the law but ajudge.b 12There is one Lawgiver,a who isable to save and to destroy. Whob are you tojudge another?c1 Being Overly Confident 213Come

now, you who say, Today or tomorrow we willa go to such and such a city,spend a year there, buy and sell, and makea profit;b 14whereas you do not know whatwill happen tomorrow. For what is yourlife? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 15Insteadyou ought to say, If the Lord wills, we shalllive and do this or that. 16But now youboast in your arrogance. All such boastingis evil.17Therefore, to him who knows to dogood and does not do it, to him it is sin.1 Warning to Rich Oppressors 2

Come now, you rich, weep and howl

for your miseries that are coming uponyou!b 2Your riches are corrupted, and yourgarments are moth-eaten. 3Your gold andsilver are corroded, and their corrosionwill be a witness against you and will eatyour flesh like fire. You have heaped up

4:110 Wars and fights in the Church are another example of the result of faith without works. Suchdisputes come from desires for pleasure that war in our members, passions that bring disruption in thebody of Christ. These passions are fragmenting (v. 1), self-centered (v. 3), of this world (v. 4), energizedby Satan (v. 7), and therefore at enmity with God (v. 4). God does not answer prayers for our selfishdesires (v. 3). Adulterers and adulteresses: The image of unfaithfulness in marriage is common throughout the OT for the faithlessness of Gods people.How do we conquer arrogant pleasure-seeking? (1) Stop praying for self-centered pleasures(vv. 2, 3). (2) Renounce the world and build a friendship with God (v. 4). (3) Yield to the Holy Spiritwho dwells in us through chrismation (v. 5). In seeking the Holy Spirit we gain the Holy Trinity! (4) Behumble, recognizing that God resists the proud (v. 6). (5) Resist (be insubordinate to) Satan and submitto God (v. 7). (6) Approach God in worship (draw near). Take special care to cleanse your hands andpurify your hearts through repentance in preparation for worship (vv. 8, 9). Never laugh off Gods callto mourn for sin.The rewards for the toils of virtue are dispassion and spiritual knowledge. For these are the mediators of the kingdom of heaven, just as passions and ignorance are the mediators of eternal punishment.It is because of this that he who seeks these rewards for the sake of human glory and not for their intrinsic goodness is rebuked by the words of Scripture: You ask, and do not receive, because you askwrongly (MaxCon).4:11, 12 Belittling criticism of others is another case of pride coming out in what we say. It is a lack offaith united with evil works, an offense both to the person criticized and to God. Gods will is to loveothers (2:8) with humility and mercy, even if they are in the wrong (see 3:1318).4:1316 True faith depends completely on God and seeks ways to do good works. But to plan as if weknew exactly what will happen is arrogance.5:16 The terrible fate of the unjust rich is that their wealth will condemn them.

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HEALINGIs anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them prayover him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith willsave the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven (5:14, 15).One of the great prophetic themes of the Old Testament concerning the promisedMessiah is that the Father would send His Son to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim libertyto the captives and recovery of sight to the blind (Lk 4:18; see also Is 49:8; 61:1). The ministry of Christ was one of numerous healings of all kinds of sicknesses and all kinds ofdisease (Mt 4:23). In addition, Jesus healed darkened hearts and minds as He released peoplefrom demonic oppression.Like their Master before them, the early apostles participated in Gods work of healing aswell, attributing their miracles to the risen and ascended Christ. Jesus the Christ heals you,Peter told a newly restored man who had been bedridden for eight years (Acts 9:34). St. Paulidentified healing as a gift of the Holy Spirit (1Co 12:9). Thus, the New Testament foundation was established for the healing ministry to be a part of the sacramental life of the Church(Jam 5:14, 15).Healings throughout history. The Orthodox Church has never believed or behaved asthough the gifts of the Spirit or the healing miracles of Christ have somehow passed away. Didnot Jesus promise, He who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greaterworks than these he will do, because I go to My Father (Jn 14:12)?St. Ireneaus, writing at the close of the second century, speaks of miracles in his day:Some drive out devils . . . some have foreknowledge of the future . . . others heal the sickthrough the laying on of hands . . . and even the dead have been raised up before now andhave remained with us for many years. The writings of other Church Fathers speak often ofmiracles within the Church.Quite widely known are the supernatural healings Christ performs through St. Seraphimof Sarov, an eighteenth-century Russian monk. He was blessed with the gift of healing duringhis lifetime, and even after his departure many people have been restored to wholeness at hisgraveside.The practice of the Church today. To this day, the Orthodox practice of prayer for the sickfollows the New Testament instruction of St. James. The Orthodox Church has a special service of healing, which may be performed at any time. The presbyter prays for the ill person,anointing him with oil and saying, O Lord Almighty, Healer of our souls and bodies, whoput down and raise up, who chastise and heal also, visit now in Your mercy our brother or sister, N., who is ill. Stretch forth Your arm, which is full of healing and health, and raise(him/her) up from this bed, and cure this illness. Put away the spirit of disease and everymalady and pain and fever. And if (he/she) has committed sins and transgressions, grantremission and forgiveness, because You love mankind.As Orthodox Christians we pray, neither commanding God to heal nor doubtingHis ability to heal, but pleading for His promised mercy on all who are ill.

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treasure in the last days. 4Indeed the wages

of the laborers who mowed your fields,which you kept back by fraud, cry out; andthe cries of the reapers have reached theears of the Lord of Sabaoth.a 5You havelived on the earth in pleasure and luxury;you have fattened your hearts asa in a dayof slaughter. 6You have condemned, youhave murdered the just; he does not resistyou.1 Encouragement to the Oppressed 27Therefore be patient, brethren, until thecoming of the Lord. See how the farmerwaits for the precious fruit of the earth,waiting patiently for it until it receives theearly and latter rain.b 8You also be patient.Establish your hearts, for the coming of theLord is at hand.9Do not grumble against one another,brethren, lest you be condemned.a Behold,the Judge is standing at the door! 10Mybrethren, take the prophets, who spoke inthe name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience.bd 11Indeed we countthem blessed who endure. You have heardof the perseverance of Job and seen the end

intended by the Lordthat the Lord is very

compassionate and merciful.12But above all, my brethren, do not swear,either by heaven or by earth or with anyother oath. But let your Yes be Yes, andyour No, No, lest you fall into judgment.ab1 The Work of Faith: Healing 213Is

anyone among you suffering? Let

him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him singpsalms.b 14Is anyone among you sick? Lethim call for the elders of the church, and letthem pray over him, anointing him with oilin the name of the Lord. 15And the prayer offaith will save the sick, and the Lord willraise him up. And if he has committed sins,he will be forgiven. 16Confess your trespassesa to one another, and pray for oneanother, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous manavails much.b 17Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that5:4 aLiterally, in Hebrew, Hosts5:5 aNU-Text omits as. 5:9 aNU-Text andM-Text read judged. 5:12 aM-Text readshypocrisy. 5:16 aNU-Text reads Therefore confess your sins.

5:712 The early and latter rain (v. 7) refers to the pattern of rainfallat planting time and just beforeharvestin Palestine. We are to put away grumbling at each other, and we must not demand that lifebe fair. Patience, forbearance, and a right vision of the ultimate Judge are true works of living faith.5:10, 11 The faithful prophets, true saints of God, are models or examples to us in how to practice suffering and patience. Consequently, Christians from the NT era even till today have honored or venerated the prophetsindeed, all the saintscounting them blessed.5:12 A polemic against a bad custom stemming from bad faith: the common practice of swearing byGod or something that signifies God (as if swearing were a proof of truthfulness). We may swear whenrequired to, but the solution to lack of trust is good faithour integrity, truthfulness between a personand God. See Mt 5:3337.5:1315 The sick person is to call for the elders (presbyters) for prayer. Salvation deals with the wholeperson, for each human being is a unity, body and soul. Hence, this sacrament has a double purpose:not only for healing but for forgiveness also. The presbyter (shortened form: priest) is given certain giftsof the ministry at ordination, the laying on of hands (see 1Ti 4:14). Prayer is combined with olive oilnot only the primary medicine of ancient times, but also a symbol of the Holy Spirit in the Churchin asingle sacrament that effects a healing for the whole person. Thus, the elements of the sacrament ofhealing include (1) the presbyter or priest (v. 13); (2) the prayer of (the) faith that will save (v. 15),connected with (3) the work of Christ Himself, for the Lord will raise us up, and (4) the Holy Spirit,manifested in the oil; and (5) confession of sins just prior to the anointing with oil, which explains whyJames writes if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven (v. 15). In the Orthodox Church, this sacrament is granted anyone who is sick, whether in danger of dying or not.5:1618 Some allege that confessing sins to God before a priest is not biblical. The ancient Christiancustom was to confess your trespasses to one another (v. 16). When a Christian was guilty of sin, thematter was confessed before the whole Church as an act of repentance. As the Church grew, and thosenot part of the community came to observe, the pressure in such public confession became so greatthat the priest, instead of the entire community, heard the confession, representing the people. What isnot taught in Scripture is a private confession only to God, which refuses to acknowledge sin to thecommunity (1Jn 1:8, 10). Thus, the Church has effected healing through such works of faith as confession of sins and the power of intercessory prayer.5:1020 This passage is read on days commemorating prophets.

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1681it would not rain; and it did not rain on theland for three years and six months. 18Andhe prayed again, and the heaven gave rain,and the earth produced its fruit.

back,b 20let him know that he who turns a

sinner from the error of his way will save asoula from death and cover a multitude ofsins.

1 Restoration 219Brethren,

if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him5:19, 20 The work of faith in restoring the apostate.